


glad you came

by writerlily



Series: The After [3]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Post X-Men: Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 22:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7073314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlily/pseuds/writerlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean starts to realize she isn't such an outcast anymore. She shouldn't feel like an outsider. She has people who were there in Cairo with her, people who are mutants just like her, doing what they can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	glad you came

The professor doesn't waste any time in getting the kids back into the normal swing of things. Classes are expected to continue from where they left off, meal and bed times are issued again. Most of the students have no issue going back to the way things were. It's easier for them and safer to immerse themselves in their friends and textbooks and activities. 

She feels like an outsider again.

Well, truthfully she's always felt like she was on the sidelines of things anyway. It's a different kind of exclusion though. Mostly all she can think about is the mission they went on. The absolute wreckage they saw, the people who died. It's a strong feeling of displacement every time she's in a classroom and remembers that she was just in the middle of a war against an actual God. 

It almost makes her laugh. 

Scott ends up sharing a room with Kurt down the hallway from her. The two have bonded and actually gotten closer in their time together. Kurt is curious about every little thing and Scott is always ready to answer any questions that Kurt has if he can. It makes Jean smile every time she thinks of the two, and her smile turns a little softer when she solely thinks of Scott. 

They've spent some time together here and there. Between classes, night training, and homework, it's a bit difficult to juggle things around. But they manage to find little moments during the day. When she's walking to class, he'll join her. When she's on her way to the locker rooms after training, he'll ask her about her day. It's like he's always wanting to seek her out, to talk to her and be near her and it makes Jean feel things that she hasn't before. Boys have always been too scared of her, or freaked out, to try to converse with her the way Scott has. 

It starts to help her feel like she's not so alone. Especially during their conversations about his brother, or when she sees the way his body twitches when he's in a tight space. She gives him a knowing look, one that lets him know that she understands the way he feels. And his shoulders will begin to slightly relax and they walk away from each other with a little more of a bounce in their steps. 

Jubilee notices and winks at Jean sometimes whenever she says she'll meet up with her later. It makes Jean blush a certain shade of pink as she hurriedly leaves to find Scott. It's a comforting thing though, because that's when Jean starts to realize she isn't such an outcast anymore. She shouldn't feel like an outsider. She has people who were there in Cairo with her, people who are mutants just like her, doing what they can. It's a bit presumptuous to think that she has Scott specifically, but she does. Scott, Kurt, Peter. Even Ororo, who is just beginning to warm up to the four. 

They eventually eat lunch together at a table near one of the large windows in the mess hall. Kurt and Peter are always easily making everyone laugh, and Scott is quick to make snide remarks every now and then. Eventually Ororo joins, making everyone look surprised for half a beat, before laughing with her. They're a team that she's so very happy and thankful to be part of. 

Jean has her date with Scott tonight so she sits at her vanity spending a little bit more time on her makeup and trying not to laugh too much as Jubilee tells jokes while she curls Jean's hair. Ororo knocks on the door while she's getting ready and comes in, making herself comfortable on the edge of Jean's bed. She helps Jean put together an outfit, which is a simple dress and a cream colored cardigan. When every wisp of her is in a loose curl down her back, and her shoes are on, Jubilee and Ororo tell her that she's beautiful and that Scott will probably pass out upon seeing her. 

She goes downstairs and wonders what they'll be doing tonight. Scott said it was a surprise and there are butterflies in her stomach as she walks down the hallway. It's not like they can do much anyway. They're not allowed to leave campus unsupervised especially not after last time, Jean muses. Something in the air shifts and she looks up to find Scott, mouth slightly agape, and looking at her with wonder. Her butterflies smooth out into something nicer, something warmer, and she smiles softly back at him. 

There's giggling coming from behind one of the couches and they both turn to look, noticing a distinct blue tail waving around. A pale hand snatches it back to hide and there's whispering to be quiet. On their way out, Jean says goodbye to Peter and Kurt. 

They walk side by side through the fields of the school and Jean is thankful that she opted for comfortable flats. They're talking about their day, what they did, funny little things that have them both laughing shyly. His hand brushes against hers at one point and she looks over to see a blush on his own cheeks. Jean hides a smile. 

He takes her to the top of a hill. There's a blanket laid out with a lantern glowing for them. They both sit down and she looks up into the sky, noting how beautiful the stars look out. She thanks him for bringing her there and he shrugs lightly, giving her a boyish smile that makes her heart do a funny little flip. 

An hour passes and they find themselves laid on their backs facing the sky. He's playing with her hand, she's occasionally nudging his shoulder with her nose whenever he says something crass. But it's perfect. It's calm and comforting, it's her and Scott. When the professor sends her a message that it's getting late, Scott folds their blanket and tucks it beneath his arm, reaching out for her hand with his other. She gladly takes it and their fingers clasp together, sending a very pleased feeling throughout her body. 

They're more quiet on the way back, sneaking secret glances at each other, bumping their shoulders. Jean knows that mostly all the other students see Scott as some kind of bad boy. They would probably balk if they saw just how sweet and kind he was. They walk up the staircase to the level where their rooms are and they face each other, their hands still held together. 

He's shifting on both of his feet and she's suppressing a smile because this is the point in those romantic movies where the boy kisses the girl, but Scott seems too nervous and she can't stop thinking about how much she likes him. So she leans forward, surprisingly at the same moment he does, and their lips finally connect. It's just as nice and good as she thought it would be, and this is definitely something she has thought of, and she can't help but smile against his lips. 

They pull back and he has the same goofy smile on his face that she probably has. He tugs on a lock of her hair, a fonder smile replacing his goofier one as he says, "Night, red." 

Jean laughs and gently shoves at his chest before telling him goodnight as well. She can feel his eyes on her as she walks down the hall to her room and she turns back, giving him one last smile, before entering her room. The door isn't even closed all the way when Jubilee and Ororo jump up from her bed, knocking over a bowl of popcorn, and screaming at Jean to tell them what happened.


End file.
